The Historymakers
by Aurora Musis Amica
Summary: Having recently retrieved Shepard from Alchera, the Illusive Man finds himself in need of an ally in order to rebuild her precious Gundam. That ally is none other than humanity's representative on the Citadel Council... Treize Khushrenada. (AU, fusion, FemShepxGarrus)
1. Chapter 1

There were few people in the galaxy that the Illusive Man would rise in order to greet, but the cultured man who served as humanity's first Councilor was the second most powerful human alive – after the Illusive Man himself – and thus deserving the gesture.

He was also one of the few people ever to be brought to Cerberus headquarters, and the Illusive Man could tell from Miranda's tension that she disagreed with his decision. However, sheer necessity required some allowances for strange bedfellows. Councilor Khushrenada was a cunning politician, but he was also a military man at heart. A meeting over a vidlink, even a full holographic one, would not only have failed to impress him but given him the notion that Cerberus was too weak, too fearful, to show itself, and thus too weak to be worth aiding.

A face to face meeting was the only way to bring about his cooperation.

"Councilor Khushrenada. How generous of you to come all this way."

"Mister Illusive Man," he greeted in reply, not batting so much as an eyelash at the somewhat strange title. His kind were always polite to a fault. He was impeccably dressed, an old style uniform replica giving the appearance of military despite his current civilian occupation. The only thing that stood out was the black mourning band tied around his arm. Sources claimed he had worn it ever since the Collector attack.

"Your purposely cryptic message turned out impossible to resist. Pray tell, what is there for us to discuss?" Due to the Councilor's need to at least show appearance of diplomacy to the other races, he spent a great deal of time denying Cerberus. It wouldn't do to call the Councilor hostile – he was too pragmatic for that. But impatient was perhaps a suitable word. The Illusive Man got right to the point.

"Commander Shepard."

Khushrenada's eyes turned hard. "A terrible tragedy, the brightest candle of humanity, snuffed out."

The Illusive Man agreed. He remembered the chill that had gripped his gut when her battered and broken Gundam had been retrieved from Alchera, without her in it. Reports from the survivors claimed she'd been on her way to the launch bay from the bridge when the ship broke apart. A terribly demeaning way for a Gundam pilot to die, especially one as precious as her.

"I quite concur. Which is why we have recovered Commander Shepard's body, and are in the process of reviving her as we speak."

The blink of an eye passed.

"I see." Khushrenada showed barely any reaction, nor did his breathing change, but the Illusive Man could tell he was moved beyond emotion. It was the little details, how his eyes gazed out to the collapsing star beyond, how his gloved hands tensed minutely. How his lips quirked in a smile, there one heartbeat, gone the next.

When he turned back to the Illusive Man, his voice was completely neutral again. "So you have taken upon yourself the role of God?"

"I am merely lending a helping hand," he replied modestly.

"It's all science," Miranda supplied helpfully, perhaps missing the finer point of contention between himself and the Councilor. "Cellular regeneration, assisted by cloning and biosynthetics."

Khushrenada regarded her calmly. "Tell me, can your science recreate true beauty?"

The Illusive Man saw Miranda's wistful look as she drew the wrong conclusion.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise you cared for her," she said, as sympathetic as he'd ever heard her. "I have the best surgical equipment and cosmetic surgeons working on her. When we are done, she will look the way she did, or perhaps even better."

"I am not speaking of physical beauty, Ms. Lawson." The rebuke was very mild, delivered perfectly politely.

In the Illusive Man's opinion, Councilor Khushrenada's view of Shepard stretched too far into the sentimental. The Illusive Man saw the mind and the drive of humanity in Shepard. Khushrenada saw humanity's soul, its essence. Two opposite sides of a coin. Yet also the same coin. That was why they could work together, in this matter at least.

"She will be Shepard. Everything she was, and nothing less," the Illusive Man said, and Khushrenada nodded, understanding the meaning behind the words. He even touched his mourning band, though he didn't take it off.

"We will need to make preparations for her return," he said instead, quickly catching on to the second item on the agenda.

"Yes. Her return will no doubt cause quite a stir. I have set events in motion to support a positive pro-human spin on her apparent resurrection, and I am feeding carefully planted seeds to remind people of her legend, so that the ripples she causes will carry far and wide. However, there is one main issue. Cerberus resources are vast, but not infinite. We can rebuild Shepard and supply her with a ship, but she will need a new Gundam as well."

The Councilor inclined his head. "I understand. Please allow me to take care of that. It is the least I can do for the soldier of the future."

"Thank you. Though we can't contribute more in the way of meaningful resources, any relevant intel Cerberus possesses is at your disposal. Nothing less than the best will suffice."

"If you will give her life, then I will give her meaning. If that is all, I will return to the Citadel, I have much to do."

"There is one other thing," the Illusive Man said, not hesitant, but not fully comfortable either. "The matter of the turian. Once Shepard is awake she will no doubt seek him out first thing she does." He said no more, the other man would know the issues at hand.

He had considered neutralising the turian, and then making certain there were suitable replacements subtly guided into Shepard's path. Yet because of the risk to Shepard he had not been certain it was the right choice, and thus he sought advice from the one other human who could possibly understand what was at stake.

The Councilor stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "I understand your concern, but sometimes it is the irritant which makes the oyster make the pearl."

The Illusive Man considered this. The Councilor made a very good point. Shepard's love for the turian was perhaps an integral part of what made her who she was.

"I see. Then I suppose we shall simply have to let nature take its course. Though we'll continue to provide it with a gentle guiding hand. Miranda, would you please show the Councilor to his ship."


	2. Chapter 2

Garrus let himself be dragged by the arm towards the launch bay where the mobile suits were stored between sorties. Shepard wasn't quite bouncing up and down with excitement – but that was likely only because she was vibrating and darting back and forth between steps like she had more pent up energy than what her body could contain.

Garrus had been busily calibrating the guns while the ship was being loaded with cargo, and he'd expected some free time while Shepard spent the next hour or so drooling over her new mobile suit. What he hadn't expected was Shepard coming into the battery within twenty minutes and hauling him physically down to the bay to admire her new toy with her.

It could be a human thing, or a woman thing, but he had a good feeling that this was simply Shepard being Shepard. Shepard alive, and breathing, and so very, very excited to be showing him her "surprise".

"There it is!"

They cleared the last blast door, and she pointed at the huge near-human figure of metal where it stood in its storage berth.

Red, dark, and imposing, staring sightlessly out at the bay. Garrus didn't know what spiritual meaning humans assigned to wings, but the ones on this Gundam, thin, jagged and angular, pointing down at rest, would make any turian think of a specific kind of giant bird of prey. The kind that had eradicated entire villages before his people had developed the first reliable long-range weapons. It made him think of death.

"17.4 meters tall, 8.5 metric tonnes, armour of pure Gundanium alloy," Shepard rattled off as they neared, and then she was drawing one hand lovingly along the mecha's foot, still holding on to Garrus with the other. He supposed there might be some symbolism there. He followed her around its feet, then took a deep breath when she called down the lifts that would raise them up onto the cockpit entry hatch.

"It's a close quarter combat suit," she said on the way up, pointing out the sword strapped to its back, and the terrifying shield which ended with something whip-like coiling off the Gundam's hand. "Made for getting up close and personal with the enemy, so they know who's killing them. That chain can be used as a grapple to pull enemies in, but it's also got a heat rod that'll burn through armour like melting ice." She was smiling. "And if that doesn't work, see those claws? They're for shredding, and will finish the job."

She looked at him expectantly, and he managed a smile. "Impressive."

"I know! This is so exciting! Nothing short of another Gundam can stop this suit, it's the most amazing one I've ever piloted..."

He had seen her enthusiastic about these giant mechas before, it was one of her more endearing qualities. Hell, the first time they'd met, she had made one dance, just for his amusement. And when she was inside a cockpit with her strong hands wrapped around the controls and sharp eyes gazing lazily at the monitors seeking her next target, it spoke to some deep part of his soul – and his libido. He had been well acquainted with this quirk of hers before her death, and in a way, seeing her this enthusiastic was heartening, a solid proof she was his Shepard, same as she always had been.

"...and its name is Epyon."

But something about this machine _frightened_ him, and he wasn't too proud to admit it.

Shepard slipped inside the cockpit and sat down in the chair. Though the word 'sat' failed to convey the full meaning – she melded into the Gundam, human woman and metal machine joining as one, as though she'd been born to sit in that very chair. She immediately started bringing the internal systems online, though the main reactor remained thankfully silent.

Garrus carefully navigated his way inside. These things were not intended to carry passengers, he had to stoop slightly, but it was doable as long as the cockpit hatch remained open.

And as long as the cockpit hatch remained open, he wouldn't have the sudden urge to be somewhere else, Shepard or no Shepard.

"It also has a brand new cockpit system called ZERO," she said, completely unaware of his discomfort. "The card said it would show me what I am fighting for." She smiled at him, and some of his unease melted when his heart made an extra beat. "But I won't need it. I already know what I'm fighting for."


End file.
